‘Great Catsby’ event to benefit local rescue organization

June 8, 2018

"The Great Catsby," a free family event, will take place at the Martinsburg Roundhouse on June 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Featuring a large silent auction benefiting local cat rescue organization Pat's Little Angels, the event will offer free face painting, live music by Tony M., 35 animal- and human-related vendors and booths, and two fashion shows.

"It's going to be a really fun day," said event organizer Tania Kirkman. "We've gotten some great support, and we have a great core of vendors and booths."

Article Photos

Courtesy photoCats from Pat’s Little Angels trying on their Cat Fashion Show costumes. All of these cats are available for adoption outside of the event.

Courtesy photoCats from Pat’s Little Angels trying on their Cat Fashion Show costumes. All of these cats are available for adoption outside of the event.

Courtesy photoCats from Pat’s Little Angels trying on their Cat Fashion Show costumes. All of these cats are available for adoption outside of the event.

Courtesy photoCats from Pat’s Little Angels trying on their Cat Fashion Show costumes. All of these cats are available for adoption outside of the event.

Latte Da Cupcakery owner Dolly Fergus is hosting the event. Fergus is planning to open a cat cafe in Martinsburg within the next year, where visitors can enjoy food or drinks and pay to play with socialized cats available for adoption.

Instead of charging admission to enter the Roundhouse, which can be accessed through the Martinsburg Train Station building, attendees are asked to bring a donation of pet supplies for Pat's Little Angels.

"It's ultimately a fundraiser. We have a fantastic silent auction - 35 items at least. We also have 35 vendors, including dog- and cat-related items, animal artists, handmade bags, Debi Bennett doing animal spirit readings, handcrafted jewelry and animal rescue organizations," Kirkman said. "Now it's really just a push to get people to come out and be part of it and have fun.

"We're doing two fashion shows," Kirkman said. "One is for humans and one is for the rescue cats, so the rescue cats are going to be strutting their stuff on the catwalk."

Kirkman said the cats will be accompanied by handlers, in case they have trouble navigating the catwalk.

"We're getting them used to their outfits now, getting them a little more acclimated with that," she said. "They're cats, so you never know how they're going to behave out-and-about, although they are socialized.

"They'll have some adorable outfits, so it's going to be very cute. The kitties themselves have varying outfits, based on personality," Kirkman said.

The cat fashion show will begin at 1 p.m. and will feature about 10 cats available for adoption.

"The Cat Costume Fashion Show will have a few cat-egories: children, adults and then groups," Kirkman said. "There are going to be prizes for the human fashion show, based on originality, things like that." The human fashion show is open to anyone in a cat-themed outfit.

Although the cats at the event will be available for adoption, adoptions will not be done at the event, to keep its focus on educating and entertaining the cat-loving audience.

"We're hosting this event to get people involved and to raise awareness and education of animal rescue," Kirkman said. "They'll be talking about the importance of spaying and neutering, and trap-neuter-release for feral cats, so they can continue to live out their lives without adding to the kitten population."